Tottenham Hotspur are now in pole position to complete the signing of Barcelona's Franck Kessie.
The Lowdown: Tottenham target midfielder
Kessie only arrived at the Camp Nou in the summer transfer window, joining on a four-year deal upon the expiration of his contract with AC Milan.
However, it has recently been indicated that the Catalonian club would be willing to part with the central-midfielder in the January transfer window, with Spanish sources outlining a move back to Italy as a potential option, due to the move to Barcelona not working out.
With Tottenham looking to add more depth to their midfield options, Antonio Conte may consider a swoop for the Ivorian, instead bringing him to the Premier League.
The Latest: Tottenham in pole position
Sport Witness detail reports from Spanish outlet Sport that Spurs are leading the race to sign the 25-year-old, already contacting his current club regarding his availability, although Inter and Napoli are also in the running and have spoken to the player's agent.
All three clubs are eager to complete the signing on a loan deal, but Tottenham are willing to include a purchase option in the finer details of the agreement, which could be a decisive factor, as could Conte knowing the maestro well from his time in Italy.
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The Verdict: Make it happen
Lauded as 'fantastic' by Serie A analyst Matteo Bonetti, the 60-time Ivory Coast international would be a quality signing for Conte, as shown by his impressive displays with former club AC Milan.
The £30m-rated ace's exploits in the 2020-21 season were particularly impressive, weighing in with a remarkable 13 goals and 6 assists in Serie A from central-midfield, while last season he was a consistent performer en-route to his side winning the league title, registering an average SofaScore rating of 7.07.
In La Liga, Kessie is yet to hit the ground running, but in truth he has not been given long to adapt to his new surroundings, and if he given a consistent run of games at Tottenham, he could well emerge as a key player under Conte, capable of both scoring and assisting from deep.